


The Flames of Corruption

by SilenceIsNotGolden



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Older Woman/Younger Man, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-02-12 01:10:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12948060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilenceIsNotGolden/pseuds/SilenceIsNotGolden
Summary: Two years after the events concerning Yaldaboath, Akira Kurusu and the rest of the Phantom Thieves have settled into their quiet, ordinary lives without the Meta-verse or their Personas. But after hearing disconcerting reports of shadow activity in the real world from Sae Niijima, the Phantom Thieves decides to investigate the strange phenomenon and is suddenly thrust into another realm filled with grotesque aberrations and corrupted enemies unaffected by their Personas.  Fortunately for them, the Phantom Thieves might have a new ally in their midst that can turn the tides of the battle.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! You can call me B! This is my first Persona 5 story and quite frankly my first story on this site. I have about 9 chapters written and I'll try to update it on a weekly basis. I thought I'd mix it up and try my hands at a Sae Niijima/Akira Kurusu pairing. I enjoyed a few stories that were written about them and so I was inspired. 
> 
> It'll be a slow build up but they'll get there...somehow.

# Chapter 1: The Dead Zone 

* * *

 

“Niijima, are you busy?” The gruff voice of Sae Niijima's boss asks with a rather apologetic tone. She casts one more look at the screen of her laptop and then closes it. Whatever he has to say, it can't be good news if he is already sorry.

“Go ahead, Masaori-san.” Sae motions for him to sit down on the lofty chair meant for her clients. Dark bags lay heavy under his eyes and his usual slick back auburn hair is a mess today. It seems sleep has been eluding him recently.

Masaori adjusts the collar of his white shirt and lowers his voice. Her boss isn't known for his subtlety since he has quite a boisterous attitude in and out of the courthouse so for him to be acting secretive like this is a cause for concern. “Listen, Niijima.  I know I tend to give rather weird and eccentric clients but you can't really blame me for that. They only want the person who not only proved the Phantom's innocence but took down Shido.” He drawls on but she only nods. That was a collective effort. It wasn't only her after all.  The Phantoms did most of the work but of course she couldn't really go into details about that, considering that all happened inside the Meta-verse, a surreal world that sounds like it's from a sci-fi novel than anything. Shadows aren’t common knowledge in modern society. It'll be hard to prove without physical proof of its existence.

“I have this friend, you see. He called me a few days ago asking for help.” He rubs his hands together as a slight chill brushes against them both. Sae's desk is situated near the windows but none are open at the moment. She ignores this rather ominous feeling crawling up her arms. “He said he saw a monster when he was visiting his late mother at the Aoyama cemetery. It even hurt him so he wants to...” He momentarily pauses, hating his next selected word. “...sue.” Masaori slides open his smart phone and reveal a picture of the injury. His friend recorded it and it got progressively worse as the day went on.

Sae inadvertently hisses at how purple the wound became. “The doctors cannot even ascertain if it's an infection. His blood count and everything is normal.” Sae listens patiently. Anxiety is clearly painted on his exterior. “Strange symptoms aside, I told him it might just be someone's dog. Dogs can be pretty monstrous when angered because suing the city isn't something we handle personally but I thought why not just investigate the area.” Masaori-san paled as if he is reliving something horrid from his days ago. “It was a monster, Niijima. A huge shadowy monster. It wasn't normal..” There's a slight quiver in his voice. “The Phantom had some kind of supernatural powers, right? Can you ask them to help out? I know they've retired but just this once. What if it hurts other people?”

The eldest Niijima fidgets in her seat. According to her younger sister, the Phantom Thieves had lost their ability to enter the other world thus losing their access to their Personas, a powerful weapon used against Shadows. This is quite a dilemma if it was indeed Shadows that attacked Masaori-san's friend. She crossed her arms and contemplated on the implications of her boss' plight.

“Sir, can you describe to me more of what you saw.” He begins to detail the monster as “hazy and distorted.” It wore a black similar to a modern day Grim Reaper depicted in various horror movies and shows. It had a distinct sound, akin to the clanking of chains while carrying a gruesome bloody bag.

“Tch...” She wraps her pointer around her chin. She has never seen a Shadow before and the only reference she has are from the statements made by Akira Kurusu during his interrogation a couple years ago. What he is describing is similar to the description of Shadows but she must consult with the experts. If it is indeed true, what are shadows doing in the real world?

“For now, there doesn't seem to be any incidents. I spoke with the keeper of the cemetery and he said nothing was out of the ordinary. However, it worries me Niijima. Shinsuke, my friend, told me the Phantoms had help him see reason before. He wonders if they could come to his rescue again. It won’t stop.”

“Rescue, sir? Is he being continually pursued by this monster?”

He recoils as he takes a sharp intake of breath. “Yes...Niijima. It follows. It might be observing me too.” Broad shoulders sunk in defeat. “Whatever cases you're working on, I'll handle it, Niijima.” Sae’s nose instinctively scrunches at the slight mention of passing down unfinished cases on to another. Her time in the SIU has taught her to be able to handle multiple caseloads, no matter the cost to herself.

“You haven't been to the police, sir?” Niijima inquires.

He shakes his head for a definitive no. “I mean no offense to our police force but I don't think they could handle monsters. I'd rather rely on the Phantom Thieves.”

A sigh escapes from Sae. She doesn't even know if those kids are willing to participate in this.  Makoto is in her second year of University. Akira moved back to Tokyo and is living out his college life as well. The other kids have moved on too. To pull them away from their normal lives now would be cruel of her.

“I will not make any promises, Masaori-san. They are content with their lives and --”

Her boss coughs raggedly. “I understand, Niijima.” Masaori wears a wooden expression. So, whatever is affecting his friend is now affecting him too? If Sae didn't deal with the events regarding the Phantom Thieves, she probably wouldn't have believed him so readily. Experiencing the events foretold two years ago prepared her more for this since if it didn't occur she might have been staring at her boss in a different light. It would be of a person who didn't have time for such nonsense. Huh, she might still have been a prosecutor back at the SIU. Life works in mysterious ways.

“Sir...keep this between us for now. Let no one else know about it. I will see what I can do.” A grateful smile crosses his lips. Who would believe him in the first place? “You should get some rest, Masaori-san.” He weakly mutters that he'll try and heads back to his office.

Sae glances at her phone and selects her sister's name. She hoped to God that this isn't Meta-verse or Shadows related.

 

* * *

Despite jumping around the issue when explaining it to Makoto, one word that pertained to Shadows was enough for her little sister to come on board and offer her expertise on the matter. The talk wasn't appropriate dinner conversation but Sae figured the more she delayed this, the more Masaoki-san and his friend suffers.

The next day, they found themselves driving to Aoyama cemetery. Makoto gazes at her phone. “No one else is free but Akira and Morgana.” That is no surprise since it is on short notice. They are mostly free during the evening. “Their absence shouldn't be a cause for concern, Sis. After all, we're just here for the initial investigation.” The younger Niijima stares out the window of Sae's car and surveys the outside of the cemetery. She never liked them. Always thought there are too many unseen eyes on her. Sae parks the car nearby the cemetery grounds and takes a deep breath. Hopefully, they're not dealing with Shadows. If that is the case, what are they up against? What is worse? Handling a known threat or wading through the dark without any guidance?

“Let's go, Sis!” The pair find themselves walking through the busy side street of the cemetery as cyclists and runners alike dashes across another narrow paved path meant for vehicles. Cherry blossom trees follows the small road, as its petals dances elegantly with the wind, distracting any passerby with its dazzling visage. Despite it being a cemetery, it’s has such a quaint environment. Hard to believe there was an incident here. “Well, even if it ends up being nothing, at least we got to see the Cherry blossoms while they're in bloom.” Makoto raises her phone and takes a good picture of the trees. Futaba, Haru and Ann would mostly want to see them.

 Both sisters stop by the area where they're supposed to meet with Akira. He's unusually late. Makoto knows him to be punctual to a tee. Sae holds up her phone. “If Kurusu-kun took the train from Yongen, the Ginza line is his best bet and there are delays.” Makoto texted him earlier but he hasn't replied yet. “What is he up to these days? I assume you keep contact with him.”

Makoto laughs. “Akira is actually interested in studying law.” Sae is shocked to hear this. She thought he had enough of courtrooms to last him a lifetime from his horrid situation with Shido. “He sometimes questions me about you and your job. Not sure why he doesn't just call you instead considering you're the lawyer.” She adds with a hint of humor in her voice.

“That is curious.” Sae will approach Akira about it sometime. She would like his opinion on why he is keen on following this certain path.

“Niijima-san! Makoto!” Both Niijimas swivel towards the familiar voice. He slows down to a jog upon approaching the two women. “Sorry, I'm late. The trains were horrible today.” Morgana appears behind him, propped up on his shoulder. Makoto gives the blue eyed cat a gentle pet behind his ears and receives a low purr.

“How do you think I felt! I was squished inside your bag like sardines with no air holes!” Morgana yelps.

Akira scoffs, brushing aside his dark bangs grazing his eyes. “The feeling was mutual, Morgana.”

“Is Morgana all right? That was a rather agitated meow from him.” Makoto couldn't help but snicker at how innocently her older sister said “meow.” “What are you laughing at, Makoto?”

“Nothing, Sis.”

Sae quirks her brow but doesn't push her sibling any further. Turning to Akira, she holds up her hand to him for a formal handshake. “It is great to see you again, Kurusu-kun” Granted, they see each from time to time, usually when there's a get together with Makoto and her friends. The two years didn't change him much. He has gotten taller, shoulders more broader but he still seems to be the same kid whosaved her those years ago.

“Nice to see you as well, Nijiima-san.” The dark haired young man squeezes her hands, slightly worried about the clamminess of his palms against her soft ones. Their hands linger a little longer than a regular handshake and only until Morgana made a comment did Akira break their contact. Clearing his throat, the leader of the group releases her hand.“So, what's this about a shadow?” He spits out in a quick burst. “Makoto tells me an associate of your boss was attacked by one, Niijima-san?”

Sae reiterates Masaori's account while they march towards the place of the sighting. “Masaori-san provided me a map of the local cemetery and the location of Shinsuke Kishi's mother's grave.” She watches Morgana as he converses with her sister and Akira and part of her wishes she could comprehend the black cat's utterance. Noticing her big sister's focus on Morgana, Makoto translated for her. “Sis, Morgana is saying that Kishi was someone whose heart we changed two years ago. He was abusing his power and taking it out on the people that worked with him.”

“It's a small world, indeed.” Akira shoves one of his hands in his pocket and adjusts his bag with the other. “I showed those injuries to a doctor friend I know and trust. She made it clear she hasn't seen anything like it before. Whether they are Shadow related is still up for debate.”

Entering a clearing, dozens of tombstones in various shapes and sizes made their home in this green, lifeless valley. This is deeper into the cemetery and from the surface, most of these graves haven't been tended to for awhile or just not frequented as often as it should be. Sae's crestfallen red eyes examines the patches of land and thinks of her father. His two living daughters doesn't pay him a visit enough. Well, she couldn't speak for Makoto but Sae knows she had neglected or rather avoided stopping by.

Sensing Sae's uneasiness, Makoto flashes a bright smile for her and pats her older sibling on back.

Akira observes the sisters and his hands twitches when he saw Sae's downcast expression. She is probably thinking about her dad, he thought to himself. It would be odd if he makes a move to console her. “Hey, whatcha staring at, Akira?” Morgana whispers in a sing-along fashion as his whiskeys scrapes against his human's cheek.

“Do you want to stay in the bag for the rest of the day?” At that second, Morgana hops out of Akira's brown leather bag and taunted his human friend.

“I don't think you can catch me, kid!” Makoto throws them a disapproving glare.

“We're here, according to the map.” Sae announces. Carefully reading through the names on the tombstones, they finally found Kishi's mother.

“Mayuri Kishi. A loving a mother and wife. Gone too soon.” Akira reads the grave's heading. He observes any neighboring landmarks. “Niijima-san, your boss told you whatever it is that attacked him and Kishi made a specific sound, like chains clanking against one another?” Their eyes connected.

“That's correct. Have you met a Shadow like that?” Worried dark eyes bore into her.

“Let's just say, we didn't have a pleasant experience when we encountered one.” Many minutes had passed as Sae tried following Morgana's mewling and nodding from the only two humans who can understand him. They later translated for Sae.

“Reapers?” Sae exclaimed. “Any chance this could be the very same one?”

Akira kicks loose pieces of gravel in discontent. An off-chance that it could be the Reaper, they would be in trouble. Their Personas have been cut off from them. Best case scenario, a shadow's reappearance could trigger their awakening again. Worry lingers in his mind and Makoto mirrors his outward demeanor. Why would any Shadows be appearing in the real world? “How about we search the premises?”  Makoto suggests. “The Reaper also had certain requirements before it made its presence known. If it’s the very same one, then we're just not hitting those requirements.”  

All of the sudden, Sae clutches her head. Pain courses through her head for a brief second, like hot melted iron being poured down her skull. However, it soon ebbs away. She checks up on the others and they seem to be in worse shape than she is. “Mako...to?” Her words trails on while she sees her breath manifests before her. Coldness slithers throughout her body, enveloping her like a second skin. “Hey, Makoto! Kurusu! What's going on?” Chains clanking against one another becomes louder and louder.   

The leader of the Phantoms and his advisor collapses on their knees, trying to ward off whatever is going through their heads. Akira's leg tightens as he attempts to rise up. Something or someone has him shackled to the ground. He can't think. He can't hear. Sharp like claws keeps drilling inside his head, threaten to burst out...or are they clawing their way in?

“Kurusu! Makoto!” The muffled voice of Sae falls on deaf ears. “I'm sorry for this.” His head twists to the left as a stinging jolt snaps him out of his reverie. Intense agony is quickly replace by a dull ache on his cheek. “Kurusu-kun, I need you to focus!” Agitation oozes out of the eldest Niijima.

“Did you just slap me?” He asks incredulously.

Guilt doesn't show up on her face. Akira notices Morgana is unconscious and draped in her arms. “I've been trying to get through to you and Makoto for the past 10 minutes and I wasn't about to slap my sister.” She pulls him up on his feet. “I can carry Makoto and Morgana but adding you to the mix will be too much for me. We don't want to get surrounded.”

“Thanks, Niijima-san. I'm glad you care.” Akira retorts and slaps his face twice for good measure. That was a rather good wake-up call. It worked. He sucks his teeth when more clanking of chains becomes more evident. In the distance, a dark figure fizzles in and out, creating an air of distortion. Transparent black flames coats its misshapen form.  The “Reaper” hasn't taken shape but he could definitely make out its outline.

“Let's go, Kurusu-kun.”

The group find themselves hiding behind a hollow tree. For now, they have eluded their pursuers but it won't be long until they're behind them again. “Makoto!” Sae rocks her sister back and forth trying to reverse whatever is afflicting her. It semi-worked for Akira. Over by his side, he pats Morgana's head furiously but to be honest, it's more for stress relief than anything.

“Sis, am I going to die? It hurts....” Perturbed crimson eyes couldn't help but glare at Makoto.

“You'll be fine, baby sister. Just relax.”  Uncertainty mingles with despair. A bad combination. Switching her attention towards the young man beside her, she nudges his side, trusting that he's at least coherent. “Kurusu-kun, how's Morgana?”

Akira groans. “Niijima-san, did you also hit me with nail bat because my head feel like it's in two.”

“No, but if you wish, I can hit you again.” Cracking his stiff neck, he bitterly chuckles at the ex-prosecutor's stab at making a joke in a time like this. The shadows aren't close but how long will this reprieve be. Gritting his teeth, he repeats “Thou art I, I art thou” in his head like a chant. Any minute now, Persona. Sataneal, Satan, Yoshitsune, Arsene, anybody, really. He'd settle for Pyro jack. C'mon! You don't just lose a part of yourself. Slamming the back of his head against the roughness of the tree will not bring his Personas forth but it sure as hell dulled the torment raging inside his head. Actually, the nail bat sounds pretty tempting right about now.

“Kurusu, please don't pass out on me.” Akira pushes his heavy, languid eyes open upon the serene voice of Sae. Fear and worry adheres to her voice. Confident as she is in her abilities, there is no way for her to fight back against Shadows. Throwing punches in the courtroom is her speciality. She'll leave Shadow slaying to the Phantoms. Although she's under the impression that the Persona users are as powerless as she is right now. “Kurusu, what next?”

“Niijima-san” He bit his inner cheek until he tasted iron in his tongue. “My thoughts are all jumbled up so I don't have all my faculties but when they come, I'll distract them. Get Morgana and Makoto out of here.”

“Tch.” Out of habit, she takes a glimpse at her watch. Time has literally stopped. “And then what, Kurusu? You and I don't know where the exit is. Even if we manage to get away, eventually, we'll get overwhelm. Your heroics would have been for naught.”

“Akira...” They look down at the semi-conscious cat. “I sense a presence....” Morgana sputters. “...nearby. Different from these shadows. Go there. It's a safe room...I think. The distortion is weak.” He groans. “Hurry, those things...they're not too far from us. This is a whole different dimension. The Meta-verse never made us this powerless.” Akira struggles to stand up but he musters up the strength to continue. Shido didn't break him. He lived. He challenged his fate. There's no way he will fall now.

Almost dropping back to his knees, Niijima ensures that Akira stays upright by hoisting his arms around her shoulders. “I got you . Morgana point me to this safe room.”

* * *

 

Slowly but surely and with the help of a talking cat, Sae finds herself in front of a mausoleum. The ebon stony entrance doesn't look promising but it is better than the other options available. It creaks open. With her last efforts, Sae gathers her remaining energy and practically threw her and basically her passengers inside the damp building. 

“Owww....” Morgana is up on all fours as his lucidity returns to him.  “I can breathe again!” The pressure from outside lessened and gradually, those badly affected by the atmosphere regained their strength.

Makoto sits up and inspects her tired sister. “Sis, thanks. Sorry for the trouble. I don't know what came over me.”

“I'm relieved that you're all well.” Sae smiles, a tired one, but a smile nonetheless. She is sitting on the grimy flooring of the ossuary, resting and conserving her stamina. “Kurusu, Morgana, how're you two.”

“A-ok, Niijima! You saved us. It's strange you weren't influenced by whatever got a hold of us but nevertheless, that was a boon for us all.” Sae blinks when the cat is making sense to her. Wait, the cat is

intelligible. Now that she mentions it she did use his directions to find this place. Did she hit her head as well? Akira translates what Morgana had said and Sae just doesn't have the power to correct him.

“You're welcome. So, this is a safe room?”

“For better words.” Makoto scans the interior of the mausoleum but with the absence of light, only darkness endures. She tries the flashlight app on her cell but the charge depleted.  Without a moment's notice, a small torch fires up at the far corner of place. It is perched in a rather brittle looking ligneous sconce and Makoto shakily retrieves it. “The distortion is almost nonexistent here. My head is...I can think straight now.” She evened her breaths. There's no way she would go running back to her sister every time she's scared. It's just the darkness. “Darkness begone...darkness begone...darkness begon--”  The brunette shrieks at the movement on her head.

“Queen, you all right?” That cursed black cat pokes fun at the anxious advisor.

“I have the torch, you dumb cat!” Makoto berated, with hostile undertones underneath her shouts.

“Yikes! Easy, Makoto! Hey, Akira. Carry the elder Niijima if you have to! There's a flight of stairs over here. We should see if this leads us anywhere.” Morgana orders and is back to his normal bossy self.

Akira rakes his curly messy locks away from his face. “Fine.” He adds under his breath.

Sae stops him. “I can walk myself, Kurusu-kun.” Defiance swims freely in her red irises. “Just help me up.” Their hands touch and for that split point in time, Akira hears a faint voice in his head. _What's taking you so long?_ Its sardonic words confuses him. Concerned for how glazed his eyes had become, the lawyer pokes his chest. “Kurusu? You can let go.”

His breathing hitched up. “Sure, Nijiima-san. Sorry. Let's follow them.”

Over by the distance, Sae can hear her sister yelling at Morgana that she has the torch. “We should make haste, Kurusu-kun. Makoto hates the dark and we might be left with one burnt cat at this rate.” She taps his backside and ushers him on.

Akira silently agrees with a nod. There's no turning back now but how will they proceed from here without backup or their Personas?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you think of the story so far!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joker and the others continue to traverse this strange new dimension. What or who will they meet?

# Chapter 2: Back into the fray...

* * *

Makoto shifts beside her sister as they resume their descent towards the unknown. For all they know, a sea of even stronger Shadows awaits them at the bottom but Morgana would sense them wouldn't he? Sae takes custody of the shoddy torch since Makoto keeps swinging it at the air. As brave as her baby sister is, the dark and her are not friends. It's always been like that since she was a child. She just never grew out of it.

“You singed my tail, Queen!” Morgana complains as he hops on Akira's shoulder.

“Probably shouldn’t have teased our Queen like that.” Akira jests. Morgana knows better than to mess with Makoto.

After the initial bickering, the group's banter wane as each step added to their already fatigued bodies. How long have they been cascading towards the abyss. It feels like days, maybe even weeks. Once again, the defense lawyer takes a swift gander at her watch. Still 2:30 pm. It hasn't been ticking for awhile. Is this the hardship Makoto and her friends went through. Regretfully, she involved them into this again, wrecking any semblance of their normal lives **.**

“Guys! There's someone in front of us. It doesn't seem to be an enemy.” Makoto freezes at the rather excited shouting of Morgana. Then, the fire torch dims until it burns out. Pitch darkness greets them with an ominous glee. “Sispleasesaveme.” Only poor Queen's whimpering invades Sae's eardrums. “It's...fine.” Sae doesn't sound too convincing.

“Let's proceed with caution.” Akira's voice is more confident than hers. “Morgana, you'll be our guide so to speak. Is that presence still in this direction?”

“Umm...no?” Morgana isn't sure how to word what he is sensing without alerting the party. The tense air is thick that you can cut it with a knife. Akira clears his throat. That's good news. It should be good news...why doesn't it sound like good news?

Dozens of glowing eyes spills all over the walls of the narrow corridor illuminating the stairs below them. The Phantom Thieves (plus Sae) paled and stops in their tracks. Continuing down the steps in this horrid corridor is bad enough but now they have to do it with these ghastly eyes on them? “Good thing we can see now!” The brunette advisor stammers out. They've dealt with scarier Shadows than this.

“Silver lining. Now let's rush ahead while we still have the chance.” Joker takes point when a bright light emerges near the bottom of the steps. Hoping for an exit, the group discovers that the nightmare isn't over yet. They enter a spacious and brightly lit room, as wide as one of those plane hangars at the airport. A thousand stacks of finely carved chairs pile up to the ceiling, extending from one end of the room to another. It created a bridge made up exclusively of chairs. At top the mountain is a larger ornate one, similar to the thrones monarchs would sit on. Its golden hue insinuated someone important rested on it but it remains currently empty.

Akira moves first, surveying the area with Morgana in tow. He has never seen anything like it before and he went to the Pyramids, fought with a chimera, and flew in space. The leader of the Phantom Thieves thought he had seen it all. That's arrogant of him to assume. Not a stranger to the weirder aspect of life, Akira just adds this experience to the list. Life always leads him to bizarre environments but this takes the cake. “You think there's an exit?”

“It is about time.” A smooth voice of a young girl echoes throughout, bouncing from wall to wall, making it as though she is everywhere. Akira's group scrambles around searching for the owner of the voice.

“Who are you? Reveal yourself!” Sae calls out.  A calm but chilly wind brushes up against her arms. Morgana yells that he can't pinpoint their location. Preparing for the worst, Akira leads them to the only point of the room where the enemy can't circle around. Close to the throne where only a single focal point of attack exists. Not ideal considering they don't have the means to battle Shadows but if there's chance of mitigating an unexpected assault, he’ll take it.

“Cease your scampering.”  Akira stares at the short ashen haired little girl in front of him. Her unreadable golden eyes match her cold, pale face. “You mortals are all trying my patience. I have been trying to lend my aid but you continue to flee!” The hems of her white dress sway even though there's no draft. Where's that gust of wind coming from?

Makoto kneels down until she and the girl are at eye level. She does her best and offers a friendly smile. “Hi. May I ask who you are and where are we?” Upon closer inspection, the advisor can see right through this child. She chokes. Compose yourself, Queen says in her head. “Are you alone?” Wondering why this child called them mortals, Makoto lists some questions in her mind and organizes them. That will keep her mind from straying to the fact that this child is transparent.

“Very much so and my identity is of no consequence to you. My purpose is to protect this realm, nothing more. ” The ceiling rumble furiously above them and it is then followed by a staggering, booming roar. “Where is this, you ask? A world where mortals should not tread lest you wish your souls harvested.”

Akira steps forward with his own queries. “What do you mean by that?” The way she carries herself and speaks reminds him a bit of Lavenza.

Golden irises widens upon his approach.

_A fool. With the soul of a chosen one_.

No wonder the little ones are in a state of unrest. Such exquisiteness has disrupted their slumber. “It is of no importance but perhaps...” She pauses. “...no. You must depart from this realm and never return.” Her palms outstretch forward as she utter an incantation. An esoteric runic symbol bursts from her hands, creating a vortex. It protests during its birth like the crackling of a wild bonfire. Angling her head, she bows and motions her hand from them to enter the portal she had created. “Go on.”

“Wait a minute.” Sae pulls Akira and Makoto's shoulder. She lowers her voice and suspiciously stares at the child that easily donated the “exit” to them.  “How do we know we can trust her?” Granted, they have nowhere else to go and have run out of clear options but that would only mean that they could be easy prey. For all they know, she could be throwing them to the wolves or in their case, Shadows.

“I can listen in to your conversation. I bode you all no ill will. Although, it is rather peculiar that another party of mortals would stumble upon this realm in such a short period of time.”

That got Sae's attention. “Do you mean to say that there were others before us?” The girl only hums as a response. “Two men? About...” She describes the general details of Masaori and Kishi.

“I know not of their countenance. There were two but their souls were infinitesimal so not worthy of remembering. One, however, bore the mark of corruption. I'm afraid they will be departing from your living world soon if nothing is done. I only pray that their liberation would be in peace.”

Alarmed by this revelation, Sae presses the girl for answers. “What do you mean by a mark?”

The pale, ashen haired girl studies this red-eyed mortal. She is exhibiting a light that is absent from the others. Even from the one whose soul is that of a chosen one?  “A vessel for the Fire?” The girl mutters lowly but Sae caught it.

“What was that?” Sae inquires but merely receives a peculiar shake of the head.

“Tell me, little one.” The girl begins. “If there was a route you can take to save them, would you walk on it? Even if it meant harming the ones you hold dear. Are they worth the suffering you would endure?”

“Little one?” Sae is taken aback by the grimness the girl was painting but nevertheless, contemplated on it. Masaori-san is her boss and mentor and to that extent, a friend. He helped her during her graduate studies.  Kishi means something to him even if he's just a name to her. The girl reads the elder Niijima's hesitation. “Hmmm, self-sacrifice is never viable for mortals.” Sae balled her hands to a fist. What can she do anyways? She holds no power in this world and will probably end up relying on her sister's and Akira's special abilities. Who else can she count on?

Count on...rely. Why can't she protect others with her own two hands?

_"So, you want power...”_ A familiar voice echoes in her head without warning. Blood gushes out of her nose as her vision blurs. Thousands of needles starts pricking her eyes that she wants to cry but no tears dare fall.

“Sis? What's wrong?” Her younger sister's voice breaks whatever spell she was on. All is normal as it can be again. “Huh?” Makoto could've sworn her sister's eyes flashed into a hue of amber for a brief moment.

“I'm okay, Makoto. Just tired.” Bile clogs Sae's throat and she swallows hard. Suddenly sensitive to her surroundings, she jumps at the light touch of Akira's hand on her. He flinches at the helpless look marring her features.

Mustering his best boyish smile for her, he gently squeezes her shoulder. “The Phantom Thieves already decided to take this request, Niijima-san. We'll see it through till end. We're with you.” Sae gasps when the front of his eyes erupts in blue flames and then his entire body. Instead of his usual plain clothes, a black trench coat and matching trousers replaces them. Akira adjusts his red gloves like old times. “Took you long enough, Satanael.” His voice is hoarse and fearless. “Yeah, I hear you.” Morgana hops back on Joker's shoulders and gawks up at the immenseness of their leader's Persona. “Looking cool, Joker. At this rate, I'm sure our Persona will wake up soon enough.”

“Finally!” Makoto cracks her knuckles in anticipation. “I guess if anyone should reawaken first, it would be our show-off leader!” He rubs the back of his head in embarrassment.

“Th-that's a Persona?” Sae backs up, not out of dread but of awe. The colossal figure wields an equally enormous gun, donning a gold and black jacket resembling clothes of an aristocrat. This is a Persona, the power to change hearts. _“You desire one?”_ A voice taunts her. It wouldn’t hurt to have one.

“Interesting.” The girl casts a heated gaze at Satanael. “A powerful soul, indeed.”

“Exactly.” Akira smirks. “Now, how do we go about and remove those markings from them?” The girl offers no response. She's transfixed on his Persona. “You claim you're the protector of this realm. What happens when your little pets begin trickling into our world?” 

The girl calmly advances towards the party. “Improbable.”  
  
“There must be a breach somewhere because Kishi and Masaori are seeing your pets in our world.” Akira expresses his irritation. He glances over to his advisor and recognizes that look. She figured out something.

Makoto nods and mull over his speculation. She lobs an innocuous question at their young golden eyed hostess. “Besides us, Masaori-san and his friend, who else have roamed these grounds as of late?” The girl's silence proves Makoto and Akira's conjecture. This is a recent issue. “So, would it be proper for me to say that there is a possibility, as Akira stated earlier, that there's a rift between this realm and ours. Your pets--” In a blink of an eye, the girl bolts towards Makoto until they're nose to nose. The brunette freezes and shifts back but it feels like there's a snake coiling its reptilian body around her neck. Breathing becomes slightly difficult. Akira summons his Persona and prepares an attack.

“The little ones are not my pets.” Golden eyes refocus on the monstrous silhouette looming behind the black haired leader. The girl releases her grip on Makoto and contains herself. They aren't completely false in their insinuation after all. She simply pities the little ones and therefore cares for them.

“Someone named the little ones, Harvesters, but I believe it is a repugnant name.” Her fists clench. “I do not have control over them. Some have succumbed to the….corruption.” Earthquake like tremors shakes the ground and ceiling. Dozens of chairs topples over from the abrupt seism. “Hmmm, their behavior is growing increasingly turbulent.”

“Then, who controls them?”  Sae asks.

“The Keeper.” The girl distance herself from the mortal group before she loses her cool again. “He proclaimed himself the ruler of this domain. I am merely a thorn. A thorn not so easily plucked.” Her tone grows one of anger.

Another spastic convulsion sends the Phantom Thieves (plus Sae) to the rough floor. “Owww.” Morgana complains even though he lands on Akira's head. His paws unintentionally cover their leader's eyes. “Morgana, I can't see.” Once again, his clothes burst into flames, reverting back to his normal attire. The harrowing side-effects from outside begins seeping inside and Jokers coughs. Rubbles of stones and dusts plunges from the ceiling like a deluge of rain. The ceiling begins to crack. A bellowing roar almost shatters it.

“Make haste.” The girl points to the portal. “I will examine this breach you speak of. I advice you mortals not to return to this realm but I doubt you would heed my warning.” Akira grins. She can already can tell they're not one to heed “warnings” well. With one swift move, they dash to the supposed exit and lands safely back on stable grounds. Akira dodges a cyclist pedaling towards him. The cyclist let out a few curses at him while biking away.

“Yeah, you're the one that--” Akira stops mid-sentence. Why waste his breath? They move their sluggish bodies out of the way from prying eyes. Their clothes are caked with dirt and grime, as if they've been mountain climbing for hours. Sae removes her blazer and flings it over her shoulders. “Great, we're back.” Glancing at her watch, time resumes its normal schedule. 2:31 pm.

Morgana groans. “I know I said I was getting bored but going from 0 to 100 is not what I had in mind.” Makoto laughs. Fatigue is an old friend of the Phantom Thieves but this is wholly different. Their bodies feel like it’s been chuck into a giant meat grinder over and over again.

Sae sits next to her sister on the bench. “Kurusu-kun, I'll drive you home. I could use one or ten cups of coffee, really.” That spurs a chuckle from him.

“Sure.”

* * *

The bell on the cafe door rings and Soujiro Sakura watches from his periphery his next bout of customers. He hopes to god it's not the old woman who chewed his ears off for four hours about flower arrangement. “Welcome to...” His mouth drops as the disheveled group automatically plops themselves on the booth closer to the stairs leading to Akira's attic. “What the hell happe-” Soujiro interrupts himself. “You know what? I'm not even going to ask. I'll make you kids some coffee.”

Sae leans against the cushion of seat, wanting to melt in it. She had stayed up many a nights studying documents after documents with just a canister of bitter coffee as her only ally and that wasn't even as exhausting as whatever field trip they went to. Red eyes drifts towards Makoto and then to Akira. How did they balance their personal life while traversing through an inter-dimensional world?

Akira lowers his head on the table. “We'll have to call the others and inform them about the other world.” Soujiro quirks his eyebrow but says nothing. He hears “other world” and he keeps his mouth shut. No need to make a mountain out of a mound. However, he thought the Phantom Thieves business was over and done with. Something must have come up. Boss stares at the older Niijima. It can't be good if the lawyer is in on it. Leblanc's owner distributes coffee to his drained young friends.

“Original blend is good?”

Morgana jumps on the booth and to Sojiro, his cute mewling means that he wants to drink too. “Boss! I want coffee too.” The bearded man scratches the back of the cat's ears. “All right. I'll get you some milk.” The group manages a small laughter.

“What! Milk? No I don't want-” Soujiro puts a bowl of the sweet white drink and Morgana greedily drinks it.

“I'll go ahead and text Ann and the others.” Makoto begins typing away on her phone. “Sis, I'll add you to the conversation.”

Sae says her thanks. “I will let Masaori-san know that the Phantom Thieves dug themselves out of retirement and has accepted his request.” She taps the top of Akira's head. “Thank you to you both.” Morgana shouts, spraying milk droplets by her side. “Sorry. Thank you, as well Morgana.”

“You're welcome, Niijima! Didn't think we'd get back into this. We're a little rusty but we can do it...I think.” Makoto interjects, translating what the cat had said. Sae opens her mouth to notify them that she can understand him but arrests her tongue. “Right.”

Akira sips the hot liquid as he subconsciously eyes the eldest Niijima conversing with her sister.  

Perhaps it's the warmth of the hot, aromatic liquid flowing down his throat or perhaps it's from excitement that he'll get to work with her again but a gentle smile visits his lips. “Liking the coffee, Akira or the view?” Coffee spurts out from his mouth over his feline friend's. A ragged cough echoes throughout the cafe. Luckily, the Niijima sisters didn’t hear Morgana’s words. Clearing his throat, the Phantoms' leader announces, “Let's reconvene tomorrow. We should rest for today.” He glares at Morgana and regrets ever telling him that little tidbit regarding Sae Niijima.

“Good idea.” Sae returns his smile. Tomorrow will be another day but for now they should clear their heads. The Phantom Thieves have a long road ahead of them and she'll be with them through the whole way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Akira and the members of the Phantom Thieves revisit Aoyama cemetery, Sae interacts with the nuisance that's been causing her boss so much pain....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that the P5 protagonist's name is now Ren Amamiya but for this story's sake, I will continue to use Akira Kurusu for the time being. I've already written his name in several chapters already. When I get to it, I will edit his name to his canon one...eventually XD

# Chapter 3: Home

* * *

 For the past three days, the Phantom Thieves have been trying to access the other world that Akira and the others had visited but they haven't been successful. Ann leans against one of the trees and sighs. Loitering around in cemeteries isn't exactly what she had in mind for a Sunday morning but here she is. Ryuji callously sits on one of the knee-high tombstone and uses it as an impromptu bench. She throws a branch haphazardly at him. “Ryuji! Have some respect.”

Jumping up, he apologizes to her and the person's grave. “My bad, okay! But we're getting nowhere.”

The blonde haired youth looks over to Yusuke who hasn't been helping out but instead studying the area for any type of muse that can spark the artistic fire in him. He even brought a canvas and everything. Some people never change. “I should've brought another canvas. This dreary field of the dead is a haven for inspiration.” The small patch of land he commandeered is looking more like a mini art studio.

Ann grabs one of his brushes and smacks him on the head with it. “You shouldn't have brought any in the first place!”

Ryuji rolls his eyes and calls out so loud he disturbed the birds in the vicinity. “Hey, Akira! You got something?”

Akira, Morgana and Futaba are looking around and keeping their ears to the ground, searching for any visible clues about the other world. “No!” Without the Meta-verse app, they are literally wandering around with their heads cut off. But then again, the app only worked to search if a person has a Palace and transport them there. Would it function in the same regard for this other world?

The brilliant hacker groans and squats. “Not good! The dungeon is being elusive to us. Perhaps we don't have the dungeon key yet.” Video game analogy aside, Futaba makes a point. Maybe they do need a key. In that case, did they have it the other day? “Although, Masaori and Kishi was able to access the other world too. We should bring them here!”

Akira shakes his head. That won't do. At the end of the day, they're civilians. They wouldn't be able to protect them and handle whatever comes their way. He thumbs his chin. Despite that fact, it was Sae that saved him that day. She wasn't affected at all by the other world. “Yoohoo! Joker!” Small hands jogs him out from his thoughts. “Hey, where's the kitty?” Now that she mentions it, he has been missing for awhile now. “Mona! Where are you kitty?”

Morgana appears as soon as he heard yelling. “What? Just checking the other side! Nothing.” Hopping on Akira's shoulders, he licks his paws. “This isn't working out. Maybe we should bring Masaori and Kishi here.” Emphasis on should. “That weird white haired girl must have fixed the problem?”

Joker's phone vibrates. A text from Sae appears on their group chat.

 **“Any luck?”** It reads.  

Before he can respond, Ryuji and Ann beats him to the punch. **“Nope! Pretty quiet so far.”**

Niijima types another message. **“Speaking with Masaori-san at the moment. Keep me posted.”**

One more message comes through. This time it's from the younger Niijima. **“Hey! I'll be there in a few. I had to finish a paper for next week.”**

Of course, Ryuji must retort to that. **“Why? It's due next week.”** He receives no reply. Haru, who couldn't be there due to a company meeting, answers him instead. Little by little, the heiress to Okumura foods became more involved in her company’s dealings, although she still lets the current President handle most of the important projects. **“Ryuji, you know how extra responsible our Queen is. Again, I apologize for being absent. Truly, I'd rather be there. This meeting is quite boring.”**

Futaba clenches her fist and raises it to the air dramatically. **“We'll bail you out!”**

**“Please do. Oh, the director is glaring at me. I should try and learn from this. Bye, guys!”**

Akira pockets his cell. It's a shame Haru can't be here. His friend is always pleasant company but would another hand be any help at all? What are they missing? “Let's join up with the others.”

The group meets up with Makoto at the entrance of the cemetery. Ryuji helps Yusuke wheel out his supplies. They actually had to pry Yusuke away from the place because he would not leave. “Hey.” Makoto brushes the back of her hair away out of habit. Judging from a glance, the Phantom Thieves were unsuccessful in their hunt today...again. “How'd it go.” She asks even though the answer is clear as day. “Sis is having a meeting with her boss today. For all one knows, she may acquire more information to what happened that day they were attacked.” Examining her teammates, the red-eyed pugilist can tell they're running themselves ragged, especially their leader. “Akira. How about we all get lunch? We’ll discuss how we should proceed once we’re all energized.”

Ann jumps up at the first mention of food and recommends a pastry shop. Ryuji scowls. “She said lunch not dessert!” The group casually ambles to the Aoyama-itchome station. Amicable banter (mostly between Ryuji, Ann and Futaba) awash the now reinstated Phantom Thieves as compromises on where and what to eat are being made. The edges of Akira’s mouth raised upwards while the feeling of nostalgia swept him away. This is just like old times. They all kept in touch but life kept the group apart. In some twisted ways, it’s good to have the gang back together.

* * *

Sae entered her boss's office in hopes of jostling memories out of him. Jun Masaori is tired and worn-out as evident to his pale face and sleep deprived blood shot eyes. With all things considering, he shouldn't be at work today. Rest is what he desperately needs but he couldn't. There's something preventing him for doing so.

Niijima exhales wearily. Recounting what had happened seems to be moot. Masaori isn't recalling that strange little girl from the other world or even visiting another world.  Encountering those horrors called the Harvesters is the only event that scarred him and even then she can't pinpoint what exactly they did to access that bizarre dimension from the numerous retelling of his account.

“Sorry, Niijima. I'm not much help, am I?”

She responds with a small smile. “It's fine, sir. They’re resourceful. I'm sure they'll figure it out. We’ll just have to do our best and support them in anyway we can.”

For the first time in weeks, he lets out his own grin. “You have faith in them. That gives me a load of confidence, Niijima.” He glances at the small portrait of his family sitting on his desk. The painful side effects was becoming more and more torturous that he didn’t want his wife and daughter to worry about him so making up an excuse that he’ll be staying over work for an important case was his only desperate option.

“I’m sure you’re wanting to go home, sir. Don’t worry. We’ll resolve this.” Sae crosses her arms across her chest and inquires about Shinsuke Kishi's condition.

“I haven't seen him in days, Niijima. I tried calling him and stopping by his apartment but no one was around. His sister did call me, expressing her concern for her brother. Apparently, he's locked himself in his old room back at his family residence in the suburbs.” Kishi might be hiding in a place he believes he'll be safe from danger.

“Do you mind giving me the address, Masaori-san? I'll go---” Sae stills at the sudden frigidness of the room. Chains rattling against her eardrums deafens her. She shuts her eyes, willing the sound to disappear but it worsens. Hovering behind her employer is an enormous figure in ratty black robes that signifies death. It's more visible now than it was in the alternate world of the cemetery

“Niijima, you hear too? The sound is getting more and more hellish as the days pass on.” Standing up becomes arduous, causing a influx of nausea to crash over Masaori, sending him back to his seat. “Why is this happening?”

Sae clears her mind. _“ **Ho..m”**_ Is it attempting to communicating with her? Hoarse voices excruciatingly grind her against ears like a sharp, serrated knife. **_“Home...”_** Discerning what it is uttering proves difficult.“Home?” The pressure in her ears and behind her eyeballs disappears. However, it still looms behind Masaori, waiting. Eyeing the grotesque Shadows earns her an ear-shattering groan. It doesn’t appreciate being scrutinized. Following her eyes, Masaori recoils from his seat. She is staring right past him, indicating whatever she is seeing is directly behind him. He stumbles. “Niijima, it’s here? You can see them?” Nervous hands scours the air. “He..he-here?”

“Plain as day, sir.” For now, the grim looking creature isn’t hostile. It’s merely observing them, a different behavior from its brethren that pursued them several days ago. “It kept echoing the word, home.”

Masaori let out a frustrated growl. “Home? Then, go home! I...we don’t want you here! Leave Shin and me alone!”  Afraid to aggravate it, Sae tries her best to quell her boss’ anger. “Masaori-san, please. Currently, it has an advantage over us. Let’s not complicate our situation any further.” Sae organizes her thoughts for minute. Home? A realization strikes. It has a place it calls home and Masaori first met it at the Aoyama Cemetery. Can it be that they simply have to go there and it’ll leave?

“Home.” Niijima repeats. “Home? Is it Aoyama Cemetery? Is that your home?” It’s nowhere in sight. Is she correct? “Masaori-san, would you mind revisiting Aoyama Cemetery. Perhaps, that’s all it wants.” Fear crawls beneath his skin. To return back to that bleak land of the dead is a nightmare for him but if it’ll end his current predicament, he’ll burn away his dread and face it head on. “What are we waiting for Niijima?” Masaori grabs his coat and takes deep breath. If this works, then they can help Shinsuke too.

Sae informs the group of the recent development. Makoto is the first to write something. **“Sis! Wait for us. We’ll be there as well.”** Akira types his own input.   **“Niijima-san, we should meet near the entrance. We’re just in Shibuya.”**

Sae writes that her boss will be there. If they wanted to keep their anonymity, she would advise for the Phantom Thieves to keep their distance. If she recalls correctly, the people that send requests never met the real life Phantoms before. It was always communicated through other mediums like forums and secondhand meetings. There’s a pause and Sae wonders what those kids are planning. Moments later, Akira consolidates a decision. **“We’ll all be there but I will approach Masaori-san. You’re right about keeping our group’s incognito status. I can just pretend I’m a middle man if anything.”**

Sae transcribe her reply. **“Very well. I’ll see you soon.”** She lets her boss aware of the conversation as they head towards the parking lot for a long drive.

* * *

“Joker, can you hear me?” Akira can hear Futaba on the receiver in his ear. The others decided to settle in a cafe nearby the Aoyama Cemetery so they can monitor the movements of their leader. Adjusting his glasses, he asks if the view is clear. It is modded with a camera. They had stopped by Iwai’s shop and it baffles him how the gun nut had something like this in his disposal. Then again, he shouldn’t have been shocked. It’s Iwai after all.

Joker pushes up the spectacle. After disposing his glasses from his ensemble, it’s funny to just have it back again. Hearing shuffling in his bag, Morgana leaps on his shoulder. His feline friend might not admit it but there are many perks to being a cat. One, he receives free chin scratches all the time. Another is that he doesn’t have to worry about being in disguise.

“You seem nervous, Joker. Is it because of the other world or seeing Niijima.” Akira ignores the cat’s teasing. He can hear Makoto commenting on why should Akira be nervous about meeting her sister. Multiple conversation runs through the receiver and he is tempted to mute it. It’s true. This is as much as he has seen her in such a brief time. Blessings for him because he cherish these meetings, no matter how dire they seem. Having sporadic moments of being tongue tied isn’t something he is used to. However, he enjoys the bubbly feeling welling up in his stomach every time he sees her. Akira won’t say anything to damage civility between them. Besides, a distinguished lawyer with a brilliant career ahead of her would never be interested in a kid like him.

When it comes to the matters of the heart, Joker’s courage dissipates. How did these feelings come about anyways ? “Look what you started.” Joker glares Morgana but the mischievous cat only cackles. Temporarily muting the mic, Akira pats the cat’s nose. “I told you not to mention _that_ anymore.” More emphasis on _that_. “Especially not around Makoto. Who knows what her reaction would be.” He can feel Morgana’s tail thudding against his back.

“Fine, fine. You won’t hear a peep from me about your cute little crush with Niijima.” Akira unmutes the mic. They finally arrived at the entrance of the cemetery but the two lawyers aren’t in sight. The sidewalks are relatively empty, with only short encounters with people walking their dog or joggers.  

Over by the distance, an inconspicuous midnight blue Sedan drives closer to them. The tinted windows rolls down and Akira is greeted by a warm smile from Sae Niijima. “Kurusu-kun. Sorry we’re late. Let me just park the car.” Minutes later, Sae, in her usual dark pantsuit, approaches him. A sparkle of color in a form of her undershirt peeks out from her suit. Accompanying her is a taller, but distraught older man. She introduces him. “This Jun Masaori-san. Sir, this is…” She trails on, hoping the university student will pick up from there.

“Akira Kurusu. I am a sort of consultant for...them.” Careful in his words, he’ll sure not to utter the name Phantom Thieves so insouciantly. “Niijima-san has briefed me on your situation. It’s nice to meet you, Masaori-san.” Leaning forward for a handshake, he suddenly hears a sharp crackle from his earpiece, then static. It dies. He pulls it out to prevent any more damage to his eardrums. “Sorry about that…” Gritting his teeth, he instinctively tries to draw Sae behind him protectively but she stops him. The ex-prosecutor follows where his eyes leads. “I see it too. It hasn’t done anything yet. I haven’t dealt with Shadows as much as you have but I don’t sense any enmity from it.” One of those Harvesters emerges from behind her and Masaori. “You can release my hand now, Kurusu-kun.”

He swiftly retracted as if he touched a steaming kettle without protection. “Yes. Of course.” Red slightly stains his cheek. A snicker from Morgana invades his ears. He shrugs the cat off. “Quiet, cat.”

Mona hisses. “I’m not a cat!”  

“All right, boys.” Sae breaks up their bickering and then checks up on their cloaked “friend.” It’s proximate from where they are but it doesn’t acknowledge the cemetery. “Let’s continue further.” They travel to the inner portions of the Aoyama cemetery and Akira shivers at the eerie silence surrounding them. He was here this morning with the others so why the drastic change in the atmosphere.

The leader of the Phantom Thieves watches as Sae clutches her head and he understands why seconds later as a splitting headache occurs. Gradually, the pain vanishes. “Niijima-san, how’re you doing?” She recovered quickly. Panic swept her crimson eyes. Her boss isn’t here anymore. Checking up on Morgana, Akira discovers that his friend retreated back into his satchel. Thankfully, Mona is still there even though he is mewling like he’s under food poisoning.

“Maybe we’re in that other world again and Masaori-san was left behind in the real world?” Akira speaks with a sympathetic tone. It’s hard to tell. No tell-tale signs indicate that they’re in that world since the present environment mirrors the real world. This is a considerable contrast from the Meta-verse where the Palaces and Mementos were gruesome distortions of the real world. His clothes hasn’t even changed yet. All conventions he learned about the Meta-verse doesn’t seem to apply here. He takes out his phone. As expected, no bars on his cell.

“No signal.” Sae waves her phone before pocketing it. She also had the same idea. “Since you’re unaffected this time around by this world, Kurusu-kun, it might be a perfect time to resume our preliminary investigations while we still can.” Straight to business, as usual. But he couldn’t deny that she’s right. He quietly nods and hopes that this time, it’ll be better.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you think of the story so far!


End file.
